Creating The Queen
by BonesBird
Summary: The Captain agreed to play Arachnia, now, Tom just has to get her costume ready. P/T despite the tag. J/P friendship set during "Bride Of Chaotica"


**Title: Creating The Queen  
****Summary: The Captain agreed to play Arachnia, now, Tom just has to get her costume ready. (P/T despite the tag. J/P friendship)  
****Disclaimer: I don't own Voyager. If they did… Tom and B'Elanna would have had way more babies.**

**OK. This is going out to the lovely Alpha, who told me I had to write earlier. The prompts she gave me were, **_**Captain Proton. Janeway, becoming Arachnia, playing along with her adorable, recently demoted, totally deadpan helmsman. ("His Army of Evil.") And B'Elanna ...?**_

**So, S babe, hope you enjoy this. Thanks to Jekkah for the beta.**

* * *

This had to be the strangest briefing she had ever been involved in. She'd known it would be abnormal the moment Tom had said "Army of Evil". They were three words that she couldn't imagine the average Captain hearing during a briefing. "Now, in Chapter 18 Captain Proton disables this weapon just before Chaotica can use it to destroy Earth" Tom continued.

"And you think that Proton, namely you, of course. Could still do that?"

"Well we'd have to knock out the Lightening Shield first"

"A force field?" Seven asked from across the table, and Tom smiled over at her, glad that someone was getting the _lingo _of his programme.

"Yeah, now you're catching on. The Destructo Beam on my rocket ship could disable the Death Ray but only if someone gets inside the Fortress Of Doom and can shut down the Lightening Shield"

"And who's supposed to do that?" Chakotay asked, looking towards the recently demoted ensign. She still wondered if she'd been rash in reducing his rank, especially in the moments when something he understood might save the ship. She smiled internally at his struggle to maintain his excitedment

"Arachnia. Queen of the Spider People"

"Charming" she couldn't help but fire off, mentally picturing a giant spider. Like the ones she'd seen on Bajor once when she had a tour after the Occupation ended.

"Chaotica thinks so, in the story he's in love with her, he's been trying to form an alliance since chapter 3. She's the only one he can trust. The only one who could get close enough to disable the Lightening Shield. Somebody is going to have to take on her character"

"Who'd you have in mind" She smiled round toward Seven, but when she noticed nobody else looking toward the blonde, she turned her head and realised what they were all thinking. "Oh no" she stood up and walked around everyone, barely listening to Tom

"It's the role of a lifetime!"

"Captain, need I remind you that we have exhausted all other possibilities of escaping this layer of subspace" Tuvok's logic wasn't helping her deal with the idea that her crew wanted her to play a Queen. A Queen!

"Until we can eliminate those distortions we're trapped"

"Think of it as Starfleet's first encounter with Planet X"

"Thanks" She replied sarcastically, suddenly feeling like her senior staff were ganging up on her, she had never wanted Harry, B'Elanna and Neelix in a briefing so badly, just for the slim hope that maybe B'Elanna would have saved her Captain from the embarrassment. Then again, B'Elanna avoided the holodecks most of the time, Janeway couldn't see her volunteering for this mission.

"Captain, it won't be so bad. I can explain to you what you can expect, I can tell you…" when he started explaining how he could make it easier, she knew that the battle was lost. She was going to be playing Arachnia,

"Alright, alright." She looked out the viewport and then turned back to her crew, wondering if this could count as mutiny. She then looked at Tom and suppressed a sigh. "I'm a size four."

* * *

He'd relayed what the captain said, so had been surprised to see B'Elanna inputting a different size. He put his hand over hers and looked down at her. "She said she was a size four"

"She's a woman Tom, trust me, she's not going to see the size anyway" B'Elanna's explanation giving him another reason to smile. Not that he needed many right now.

"You're evil sometimes, you know that" he chuckled as he watched her replicate the boots, and then start designing the dress. He had pointed out what the characters had worn in the old movies, but she had wanted to add a bit more too it, and he was willing to let her. She hadn't been in the best of moods when he'd come into sickbay, so he was trying to cheer her up while he was there.

"I just know my gender. Anyway, shouldn't you be teaching her to shoot ray guns"

"She can handle a phaser, I'm sure she's fine on her own" he smiled and wrapped his arms around her middle, laying his head on her shoulder and watching her work.

"How about this?" she pointed to a finished design on the screen, and he smiled again before sitting up.

"That's perfect, thanks for helping me"

"The doc won't be happy, I was supposed to be helping him"

"He'll survive, anyway, it means we can have a few minutes alone while you replicate this" he grinned at her, and he saw the suspicion in her eyes. She read him like a book, and although he tried to pretend that she didn't, he knew she did. It was a sign that she really loved him though, so he couldn't hold it against her.

"You're actually enjoying this aren't you?"

"No" he lied, and he saw the first real smile she'd given him since the whole mess had begun.

"Tom, you may fool the others with that, but you're talking to me" she turned away and got the boots from the replicator and put them on the floor, testing them against her own feet.

"Ok, maybe I am a little. It's been fun teaching the crew about my programme"

"I'm still not playing your secretary" She took a couple of steps towards him again, and he reached out and pulled her into his arms, whispering in her ear.

"But, you'd make a beautiful Constance Goodheart"

"Oh I would, would I?"

"The best" he smiled and leant forward, kissing her deeply, then pulling back with a smile as the whine of the replicator ceased behind them. "I suppose I should get this to the captain. As soon as we're out of this, I'm treating you to a romantic meal"

"Anywhere but the holodeck"

"My quarters. You remember where they are?" He joked, then kissed her again. He gathered the clothes for the captain and turned to the door as she confirmed the location of his quarters.

"Deck 9, section 12. I know. Go do your mission, and try not to get us all killed"

"No promises" He called back as he walked to the door, and he turned briefly and saw the smile on her face. And it was true, she really would make the best Constance Goodheart.


End file.
